Your View(s) on aliens/extraterrestrial life

[Some of My Best Friends Are Gay]

I find it very unlikely that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe.  Nothing demonstrates the improbability of the origin of high intelligence better than the billions of earthly species that failed to achieve it.  Biologist Ernst Mayr estimated that some 50 billion species have ever existed on Earth, and only one of these achieved the kind of intelligence needed to establish a civilization.  And this one civilization is extremely fragile and likely to exterminate itself due to war/climate change/disease/etc. within 500 years of inventing radio/space travel.

If the odds of intelligent life existing are 1 in 50 billion, then there would likely be many intelligent beings throughout the universe, given the sheer number of planets, stars, moons, etc.

The odds aren’t one in 50 billion.  At best, they are one in 50 billion on habitable planets.  And that’s not considering the likelihood of intelligent life existing now as opposed to millennia ago or in the distant future; I think this criterion is perhaps the most limiting, given that we have no evidence of any space-faring civilization that is older than ~80 years.  If there were numerous intelligent civilizations existing right now, their existence would be so apparent that’d it be impossible not to spot them (even if they were only a few centuries “ahead” of us, they’d likely be at the point of terraforming planets or moving stars).

It's possible those intelligent life forms are too far away for us to even see, they could be millions or billions of light years from us. also, there's a theory that there may be intelligent life on Super Earth exoplanets, but perhaps due to the increased gravity they can't, or don't find it worthwhile, to leave their home planet and actually do anything in space.

[Crumpets]

Intelligent life exists somewhere, but interstellar travel may not, and they might not be anywhere near us. I also like the possibility that, given how relatively young our Earth is, it's possible we just can't comprehend very obvious existence of intelligent life in the universe any more than an ant colony - despite being very intelligent, is unable to comprehend cell phone calls between humans.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Intelligent life, and life in general probably exists somewhere else out in the universe, but we will never ever see or discover them in the vast reaches of our universe.

[bagelman]

Intelligent ET life is statistically likely to exist but we don't know for sure yet. Simple ET life is very likely to exist. The Universe is a big place and all. I don't know think they're interested in contacting us if they're nearby, and if an advanced alien civilization exists in the vicinity then they're deliberately stealthing around us and actively avoiding contact. However, it's even more possible that Intelligent ET life is just too far away from us to contact right now.

[Del Tachi]

Intelligent ET life is statistically likely to exist but we don't know for sure yet.Simple ET life is very likely to exist. The Universe is a big place and all. I don't know think they're interested in contacting us if they're nearby, and if an advanced alien civilization exists in the vicinity then they're deliberately stealthing around us and actively avoiding contact. However, it's even more possible that Intelligent ET life is just too far away from us to contact right now.

Is it?  Please, tell me the odds.  An abundance of apparently Earth-like planets does not an intelligent civilization make if the bottleneck is civilization itself.  So, tell me, what are the odds of alien species achieving recognizable civilization?

And why are so many folks on the Forum averse  to the idea that humanity is the most intelligent civilization to have ever existed?  That’s the more interesting question.  Perhaps the idea that there are smarter, more advanced civilizations out there not too different from our own gives people hope that we, one day too, will be better.  

[Some of My Best Friends Are Gay]

Intelligent ET life is statistically likely to exist but we don't know for sure yet.Simple ET life is very likely to exist. The Universe is a big place and all. I don't know think they're interested in contacting us if they're nearby, and if an advanced alien civilization exists in the vicinity then they're deliberately stealthing around us and actively avoiding contact. However, it's even more possible that Intelligent ET life is just too far away from us to contact right now.

Is it?  Please, tell me the odds.  An abundance of apparently Earth-like planets does not an intelligent civilization make if the bottleneck is civilization itself.  So, tell me, what are the odds of alien species achieving recognizable civilization?

And why are so many folks on the Forum averse  to the idea that humanity is the most intelligent civilization to have ever existed?  That’s the more interesting question.  Perhaps the idea that there are smarter, more advanced civilizations out there not too different from our own gives people hope that we, one day too, will be better.  

Given the vastness of the universe, it just seems incredibly unlikely that humans are the most, or the only, intelligent species in the entire universe. also, intelligent life certainly doesn't have to be very similar to humans. it could some sort of creatures that have transferred their minds into robots or something.

[You are responsible]

Definitely option 1, probably option 2.

In the latter case they could either be two million light-years away or be extinct since two million years (or not becoming intelligent for another two million years).

[Transgender for Everybody]

Option 2. Not sure where, but it only makes sense that in this universe, with so much in it, there's some intelligent life elsewhere. That said, Old Europe's remarks regarding the issue are where I stand in practice.

[Former President tack50]

If I remember correctly, anything outside the Local Group is essencially "out of bounds" and unreachable without faster than light travel (which is science fiction).

Wouldn't that cut the chances of intelligent life dramatically? (or at least intelligent life we could hypothetically contact)

[Tender Branson]

1+2

On some planets, only microbes exist.

On other planets, intelligent life exists.

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

Yes, and whatever the f$ck may be out there, I am hella not interested in us being discovered by it lol.

[courts]

option 2

[brucejoel99]

The Universe is a pretty big place. If it is just us, seems like an awful waste of space.

[Abolish ICE]

Intelligent life definitely exists somewhere.

It exists on earth.

[Donerail]

Intelligent life definitely exists somewhere.

It exists on earth.

No proof of this